October 25-31, 2025 Volume 36 - No. 43 • 1 Section – 16 Pages
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DPWH names 22 officials and contractors DATELINE USA USCIS launches new in graft, malversation complaints from the AJPress NEWS TEAM across America
US citizenship test
Official list released as ICI probe expands
Applicants filing after October 20 face longer, tougher civics exam WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has officially launched a new version of the U.S. citizenship civics test, which took effect on October 20, 2025, for applicants filing their Form N-400 on or after that date. The new exam is part of the agency’s broader effort to “enhance the consistency, integrity, and fairness” of the naturalization process. USCIS launched a new U.S. citizenship civics test on October 20, 2025, featuring 20 oral questions from a 128-question bank and a higher passing threshold. The change marks the most significant update to the naturalization exam in nearly a decade and affects all applicants moving forward. Under the new guidelines, applicants will answer up to 20 oral civics questions randomly drawn from a 128-question study bank. To pass, they must answer 12 questions correctly. Interviewers will stop once the applicant either passes or fails, based on
by AJPress MANILA – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has filed criminal and administrative complaints for malversation of public funds and graft against 22 officials and contractors, formally naming those linked to alleged ghost and sub-standard
flood-control projects in La Union and Davao Occidental, Secretary Vince Dizon announced on Thursday, October 23. “Nag-file na kami ng kaso at magsisimula na rin kami ng dismissal proceedings against them… DPWH is here to support the ICI, we are the ones providing the documents, all the information, especially on ghost projects,”
Lacson to reassume Senate Blue Ribbon chairmanship in November, Sotto confirms
Senate President Vicente Sotto III confirms that Senator Panfilo Lacson will reassume the Blue Ribbon Committee chairmanship on November 10, with Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano pledging cooperation as the committee resumes its flood-control probe
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by AJPress
Californians urged to vote as Secretary of State highlights access and safeguards California Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber is urging residents to make their voices heard in the upcoming November 4 special election, emphasizing secure ballot access, multilingual assistance, and sameday registration as key features of California’s voter-friendly system. Speaking at an Oct. 21 briefing organized by American Community Media, Weber recalled her family’s own voting history as a reminder of how hard-won this right remains for many communities. “My ancestors never got a chance to vote— not because they didn’t have the right, but because of the difficulty of being able to register,” Weber said. “Having your voice, having the ability to vote, having it accessible, making it available to so many, is really important.” Voting in the Nov. 4 special election The November ballot features a single measure, Proposition 50, which would temporarily allow the California Legislature to redraw congressional districts, bypassing the
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Dizon told reporters. (“We have already filed cases and will begin dismissal proceedings against them… The DPWH is here to support the ICI; we are the ones providing documents and all information, especially on ghost projects.”) “Ang napagkasunduan namin, ‘pag itong mga u PAGE 2
ACCOUNTABILITY SOUGHT. A protester holds a placard calling for accountability amid alleged corruption surrounding government infrastructure projects during a rally at Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., through Executive Order 94, has already created an independent fact-finding body to look into the supposed irregularities in flood control and other infrastructure projects. PNA photo by Yancy Lim
Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III has confirmed that Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson will reassume the chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations (commonly known as the Blue Ribbon Committee) when the Senate reconvenes on Monday, November 10, 2025. Sotto described Lacson’s return as “100 percent certain,” saying committee members are set to meet ahead of or immediately after the break to formalize his u PAGE 2
Palace: ICI probe on Liza Marcos based on hearsay Malacañang dismissed as hearsay a citizen’s request for the Independent Commission for Infrastructure to investigate First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos over alleged ties to flood-control projects, calling the complaint a “fishing expedition” lacking evidence by AJPress MANILA — Malacañang has rejected calls to include First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos in the ongoing flood-control investigation, describing the request before the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) as a “fishing expedition based on hearsay.” Press Secretary Atty. Claire Castro said
during a Palace briefing that the complaint submitted to the ICI lacked any proof linking the first lady to alleged irregularities in government infrastructure contracts. “The attachments do not show any link between the first lady and any anomalous project,” Castro said. “It appears to be pure hearsay.” u PAGE 4
Former President Rodrigo Duterte
Philstar.com file photo
by Cristina Chi
In a ruling released Thursday, October 23, the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I unanimously dismissed Duterte’s legal challenge, finding that the ICC prosecutor’s preliminary examination launched in February 2018 — before the Philippines’ withdrawal took effect — was sufficient to preserve the court’s jurisdiction over Duterte’s alleged crimes. The chamber “finds that the Court can exercise its jurisdiction in the present case over the crimes alleged against Mr Duterte that were committed on the territory of the Philippines while it was a State Party,” the decision read. The chamber had determined u PAGE 5
Leylah Fernandez claims her fifth As Quiboloy case advances, court ICC rejects Duterte’s career title at the Japan Open rejects hospital plea and prepares jurisdiction challenge Leylah Fernandez, the Filipina-EcuadorianCanadian tennis star, wins her fifth career WTA title at the Japan Open in Osaka after a three-set victory over Czech teenager Tereza Valentova by AJPress
OSAKA, Japan — Canadian tennis star Leylah Annie Fernandez, captured her fifth career WTA singles title at the 2025 Kinoshita Group Japan Open in Osaka after defeating 18-yearold Czech qualifier Tereza Valentova in a thrilling three-set final, 6-0, 5-7, 6-3. The 23-year-old left-hander from Montreal, known for her Photo from Instagram/@leylahannietennis u PAGE 4
for key witness testimony by AJPress The legal battle surrounding Apollo Quiboloy, founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC), is gaining momentum as the Pasig Regional Trial Court denied his request for hospital arrest and prosecutors prepare to call former police chief Nicolas Torre III as a state witness in the widening trafficking and abuse case. Court denies hospital arrest request The Pasig Regional Trial Court Branch 159 rejected Quiboloy’s plea to be transferred to a private
hospital, ruling that his medical care while in detention remains sufficient. The order, dated October 8 and made public this week, stated that there was “no compelling reason” to grant hospital arrest. Quiboloy will continue to be held at Camp Crame, where he has been detained since September 2024 on multiple counts of human trafficking, sexual abuse, and exploitation. The court noted that his current detention facility has the necessary medical staff and equipment to address his u PAGE 5
Philstar.com
MANILA — The International Criminal Court has ruled that it has the jurisdiction to prosecute former President Rodrigo Duterte for alleged crimes against humanity, rejecting his argument that the Philippines’ withdrawal from the Rome Statute in 2018 stripped the ICC’s authority over the case. This defeats the Duterte camp’s main legal attempt to prevent an actual trial from taking place — leaving only the question of whether the former president, who has been held at The Hague since March, is fit to stand trial.